The government’s Aboriginal Economic Participation Strategy focuses on leveraging opportunities for Aboriginal employment and business enterprise from government procurement to build the capability and capacity of the Aboriginal business sector and create increased opportunities for Aboriginal employment.

Procurement

The first component of the strategy focuses on increasing the number and diversity of Aboriginal businesses successfully winning government procurement contracts either directly or indirectly.

This is supported by the South Australian Aboriginal Business Register hosted on the Office of the Industry Advocate website.

This online portal connects the Aboriginal business sector to procurement and contracting or sub-contracting opportunities. It is a one-stop shop for government and private sector buyers.

What is a South Australian Aboriginal business?

The definition of a South Australian Aboriginal business for the purpose of the South Australian Industry Participation Policy is one of the following:

• A business operating in South Australia that is 50% or more owned by an Aboriginal resident of South Australia (for taxation purposes).
• A 50% or more Aboriginal owned business operating in South Australia where the Aboriginal owner is a non-South Australian resident but the business provides economic benefit to South Australian Aboriginal people through ongoing employment in this State.
• Registered with an Aboriginal Regional Authority or Aboriginal Landholding Authority, and is 50% or more Aboriginal owned and based in South Australia.
• An Aboriginal Joint Venture arrangement with at least 50% South Australian Aboriginal ownership and verification that management and financial decisions are made by the Aboriginal partner. Further to this, proof of skills and knowledge transfer to empower the Aboriginal partner must be provided.

We invite all South Australian Aboriginal business owners to email oia@sa.gov.au and enquire about the process to list their business on this Register.

Registration is free of charge and will raise the business profile to government and private sector procurement opportunities.

Industry Participation Policy

The government’s Industry Participation Policy provides further opportunities for Aboriginal business procurement across all procurement levels under a single comprehensive framework.

Under the Industry Participation Policy:

• Agencies can procure directly from businesses listed on South Australia’s online Aboriginal Business Register for goods and services up to the value of $220,000
• For tenders greater than $220,000, the Industry Participation weighting of tenders can be lifted so Aboriginal businesses, and businesses with high Aboriginal employment or subcontracting, are more likely to win tender contracts.